Movable heat-sealing apparatus

ABSTRACT

This patent relates to a machine for heat-sealing two sheets of material together while moving along a track. The machine is provided with heat-sealing wheels, a support for a sheet or material carried by the machine, an edge-guide assembly for guiding a second sheet of material external to the machine into position to be sealed to the sheet carried by the machine, supports for strips of material to be utilized in sealing, and means for laterally adjusting all such parts to align them with the external sheet.

United States Patent Jacobi [54] MOVABLE HEAT-SEALING APPARATUS [72]Inventor: William I. Jacobi, 1108 Nevada St., Northfield, Minn. 55057221 Filed: Nov. 28, 1969 211 Appl.No.: 880,864

[52] [1.8. CI .....l56/582,156/380, 156/544 [51] Int. Cl ..B32b 31/08,B29c 27/06 [58] Field of Search ..l56/582, 583,380,544, 545

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,517,672 8/1950 Jenkins..156/38O 3,065,121 11/1962 Andrews ..l56/544X [151 3,654,043 [451 Apr.4, 1972 3,269,884 8/1966 Slater ..156/545 Primary Examiner-Benjamin A.Borchelt Assistant Examiner-J. J. Devitt Attorney-J. Vincent Martin, JoeE. Edwards, M. H. Gay, Alfred H. Evans and Jack R, Springgate 57ABSTRACT This patent relates to a machine for heat-sealing two sheets ofmaterial together while moving along a track. The machine is providedwith heat-sealing wheels, a support for a sheet or material carried bythe machine, an edge-guide assembly for guiding a second sheet ofmaterial external to the machine into position to be sealed to the sheetcarried by the machine, supports for strips of material to be utilizedin sealing, and means for laterally adjusting all such parts to alignthem with the external sheet.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented April 4, 1972,

3 Sheets-Sheet l W/Y/M/W j". Jaco/ INVENTORA M Mai; BY Z 6} PatentedApril 4, 1972 3 Sheets-Sheet Iv I'lll lllllll lllllllll'illlll .Illlllll-IIIIIII'IIIaIIlII Patented April 4, 1972 S Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTZNEKSMOVABLE HEAT-SEALING APPARATUS This invention relates to sealingapparatus for sealing a sheet of material to another sheet of materialwhich may be in place in a vessel, such as a vessel for storingcryogenic liquids.

It is an object of this invention to provide a powered machine adaptedto travel along a track, which machine has means for aligning andsealing together two sheets of material, one being carried by themachine and the other being external to the machine.

Another object is to provide a powered machine adapted to travel along atrack, which machine carries a roll of material to be sealed to a sheetof material external to the machine and extending for a considerabledistance, and which machine has means for lateral adjustment relative tothe external sheet, so that the edges of the two sheets may be properlyaligned as they pass between sealing wheels to be sealed together.

Another object is to provide a powered machine adapted to travel along atrack, which machine carries a roll of material to be sealed to a sheetof material external to the machine and extending for a considerabledistance, and which machine has means for lateral adjustment relative tothe external sheet, as well as means for lateral adjustment of theexternal sheet relative tothe machine, so that the edges of the twosheets may be properly aligned as they pass between sealing wheels to besealed together.

A further object is to provide such a machine having simplifiedstructure for accomplishing simultaneous lateral adjustment of thesealing wheels and their associated equipment carried by the platform.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will beapparent from the specification, the drawings and the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals indicate like parts:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, with a portion cut away, of an apparatusconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view, with portions cut away, of themachine of FIG. 1; t

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of the machine of FIG. 1 illustrating themanner in which the edge guide is moved to align a sheet of material;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary front .elevational view of the machine of FIG. 1illustrating the edge guide and themanner in which the lower tape arboris recessed behind the edge uide.

g The machine illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 is designed for sealing asheet of material carried by the machine to another sheet or body ofmaterial which is in place on the floor ofa large tank, or the like.Specifically, the machine may be used to join sheets of material to abody of material to line the floor of a cryogenic storage tank such asshown in the U.S. Pat. to Smith No. 3,196,622. Due to the size of suchtanks, it is preferable that the floor lining be fabricated in placebysealingtogether Two rubber-tired strips or sheets oflining materialuntil a whole lining has been formed. The machine of the presentinvention, which is ideally suited for performing this function,includes a platform indicated generally at adapted to travel along atrack 1-1 which may belaid alongside the free edge of the lining whichis already in place on the tank floor, and to whichitisdesired to add anincremental sheet. The track is preferably portable so that it may bemoved as each successive sheet is added. Two flanged wheels 12 and 13retain the platform on the track with the wheel 13 being driven by motor14 through transmission 15 and drive chain 16 to move the platformhorizontally along the track. Two rubber-tired wheels 17 and 18 supportthe side of platform 10 opposite track 11.

Sealing means are provided on the platform for joining the sheet 29carried by theplatform to the sheet 30. The sheet 30 may be the linerfor the floor of the tank, as in the Smith U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,622. Thesealing means are preferably provided in the form of lower and upperheat-sealing wheels 19 and 23. Reference is made to. U.S. Pat. No.3,269,884 for a full disclosure of the construction and manner ofoperation of typical heat-sealing wheels which may be utilized with thisinvention. The lower heat-sealing wheel 19 is rotatably mounted on theplatform 10 by means of a horizontal axle 20, set in bearing mountings21, 22 and 59 on standards 21a, 22a and 59a.

The bearing mountings permit movement of the axle 20 in an axialdirection in this case to either the right or left as viewed in FIG. 2.The lower wheel 19 is powered by motor 64 through transmission 65 anddrive chain 66 which engages a sprocket 67 on axle 20. Sprocket67engages a splined portion 68 of axle 20 so that axle 20 may movelaterally with respect to sprocket 67, while maintaining drivingengagement therewith.

A slide 62 is mounted on platform 10 for lateral movement in a directionparallel to the longitudinal axis of axle 20. The slide structure 62mounts a vertical support 26. The upper heat-sealing wheel 23 is mounteddirectly above lower heatsealing wheel 19 on an arm 24 pivotallyconnected at 25 to vertical support 2601 slide structure 62. The pivotalmounting of arm 24 permits the upper heat-sealing wheel 23 to movevertically toward or away from the lower wheel 19. A cable 27 and crank28 provideleverage, enabling the platform operator to pivot the uppersealing wheel 23 away from the lower sealing wheel so that the sheets tobe sealed may be positioned therebetween at the beginning of operation.When the apparatus is in operation, cable 27 is slack so that the upperwheel 23 will peripherally engage and be supported upon the lower wheel19. Thus in operation the full weight of both sealing wheels is carriedby axle 20 and the bearing mountings 20, 21 and 59. Heat-sealing wheel23 is an idler and, by resting on the lower wheel 19 during operation,sufficient friction is created for driving the upper wheel 23 off thelower wheel 19.

An arbor 31 is provided for supporting a roll of material to be sealedto material in place. Thearbor iscarried in part by slide 62 and movablelaterally therewith. The arbor 31 is supported at one end by standard 33carried on slide 62. Suitable bearing mountings in the standard 33permit the arbor to rotate but not to move laterallywith respect to thestandard 33. The other end of arbor 31 rests on slide mounting 34 on arm35 cantilevered from theplatform 10; Slide mounting 34 permits the arbor31 free rotational movement andfree lateral movement in the directionof'its axis, sothat the arbor 31 may move laterally with the slide 62.

Arbor 31 supports a roll of sheet material 32 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4but omitted from the other figures for clarity) from which a sheet 29unrolls to pass between the heat-sealing wheels 19 and 23 and be joinedto the sheet 30.

In order to seal the sheets of material 29 and-30 together, it

.is preferred to lay a strip or tape of like material faced withadhesive above and below the juncture of sheets 29 and 30. Twoadditional arbors are providedfor dispensing these sealing tapes. Tapearbor 38 is carriedby pivot arm 24 to cooperate with the upperheat-sealing wheel 23. As shown in FIG. 3, the tape 36 unwinds from aspool 37 on tape arbor 38, travels around the upper heat-sealing wheel,and is sealed to the upper side of sheets 29 and 30 as they passbetweenthe heatsealing wheels. Tape arbor 38 is movable laterally with slide62, but during operation its weight, like that of upper heatsealingwheel 23, is transmitted through the lower sealing wheel to thehorizontal axle 20 and bearing mountings '21, 22 and 59.

A second tape arbor 39 is carried on slide 62 and cooperates with thelower heat-sealing wheel 19' to dispense a tape 40 which is sealed tothe lower side of sheets 29 and 30. It is preferred that tape arbor 39beplaced on vertical support 26 above the level of sheets 29 and 30.Placing the tape arbor 39 onvertical support 26 spaces itinwardly oftheedge of sheet 30 and edge guide 46 so that it will not interfere withthe operation of the edge guide 46. Also, it enables the platformoperator, whomay occupy a seat indicated at 41, to have an unobstructedview of the tape arbor; and it helps balance the load on slide 62.

Rollers '42 and 43, shown in FIG. 3,- are provided on slide 62 forguiding the tape 40 from arbor 39 back to the lower heatsealing wheel 19where it is sealedto the underside of sheets 29 and 30. The rollers 42and 43 are preferably placed on a line with the lower heat-sealing wheel19, and tape arbor 39, which is spaced inwardly from the sealing wheels,is inclined from the vertical, as shown in FIG. 5, so that the tape 40from arbor 39 may reach roller 43 below the edge of sheet 30.

Tape arbors 38 and 39 are preferably provided with drag means formaintaining tension in the tapes 36 and 40 as the tapes unwind. Thesemeans may be provided as shown in FIG. 2 by dual brake shoes 44 and 45carried by the platform and the tape arbor, respectively, which are keptunder compression by coil spring 46 so that drag is exerted on the tapearbor as the shoes move relative to each other, and the sealing tapes 36and 40 always remain taut.

The sealing operation takes place as follows: As the platform movesalong track 11 the sheet of material 29 is unwound from the roll 32 onarbor 31 and passes between the heat-sealing wheels 19 and 23. The sheet30 external to the platform is raised from the tank floor and passesbetween the wheels 19 and 23 as the platform moves by. Simultaneouslythe tapes 36 and 40 unwind from their respective rolls carried on tapearbors 38 and 39, and pass between the sealing wheels on opposite sidesof sheets 29 and 30. Heat from the sealing wheels activates a suitableadhesive on tapes 36 and 40 to seal the tapes to the sheets of material,and thus effect sealing of the sheets to each other.

The sheets of material 29 and 30 are preferably held with their edges inparallel relationship and very close to each other as they pass betweenthe sealing wheels. Two adjustment means are provided to assureproperalignment of the sheets 29 and 30. These adjustment means provide forfine adjustment of the external sheet relative to the sealing apparatus,and also for adjustment of the sealing apparatus on the platformrelative to the external sheet. The latter adjustment would be mostuseful where the track 11 is not laid properly parallel to the edge ofsheet 30.

The fine adjustment of the external sheet 30 relative to the sealingapparatus is provided by the edge guide means which is adapted to graspthe sheet of material 30 and laterally align it to pass between thesealing wheels as the platform moves along. As shown in FIG. 5, the edgeguide means, indicated generally at 46, includes a mounting block 47which is mounted on vertical support 26 carried by slide 62. Mountingblock 47 is adapted for rotation about an axis substantially normal tothe rotational axis of arbor 31. Rotation of the mounting block 47 iscontrolled by the platform operator with hand wheel 47a through gear box47b. At least two rollers 48 and 49 are mounted on the block 47 andadapted to engage opposite sides of the sheet 30. In the illustratedembodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, two pairs of rollers 48, 48a and49, 49a are employed.

The rollers 48 and 49 are mounted for rotation on an axis substantiallyparallel to that of arbor 31. The upper roller 48 has a spring 50 urgingit toward the roller 49 so as to grasp the sheet 30 between the tworollers. Operation of the edge guide means is illustrated in FIG. 4. Asthe platform moves along its track, the operator may turn handwheel 47ato rotate mounting block 47 on its axis. As mounting block 47 rotates,the rollers 48 and 49 cut into or out of the sheet 30, thus causing itto move toward or away from the block 47 as it passes between therollers. This enables the operator to maintain sheet 30 in properalignment with sheet 29 on the platform. This edge guide means isdisclosed in more detail in my co-pending application, Ser. No. 879,199filed Nov. 24, 1969 for Sealing Apparatus."

As indicated above, the track 11 when it is laid may not be properlyaligned with the edge of sheet 30, so that the platform l0may, as ittravels along the track, move too close or too far away from the sheet30 for the edge guide 46 to properly align the sheets 29 and 30. Itwould normally be necessary in this event to suspend operations andre-set the track 11. However, this problem is overcome in the presentinvention by providing means for simultaneous lateral adjustment of axleand slide 62 toward or away from external sheet 30. Since the sealingwheels and their associated equipment are carried by either axle 20 orslide 62, this accomplishes lateral adjustment of all the necessarysealing equipment relative to the external sheet 30. In this manner,minor errors in track placement may be compensated for by the machineoperator without suspending operation.

The mechanism for accomplishing the simultaneous lateral adjustment isshown most clearly in FIG. 2. The platform operator, by turninghandwheel 51 in either direction, can impart rotational movement throughflexible drive member 52 to worm gear 53. Since cam 54 which rides wormgear 53 is locked against rotation by bar 55, it must move laterally asworm gear 53 is rotated. The direction of movement of cam 54 is, ofcourse, determined by the direction in which worm 53 is rotated by theplatform operator. Pin 56 on cam 54 engages a cam follower 57 which islocked on axle 20 with set screw 58. Since the bearing mounts 21, 22 and59 of axle 20 permit lateral movement of the axle in the direction ofits axis, cam follower 57 and axle 20 will move with the pin 56. Lowerheatsealing wheel 19 carried on axle 20 is thus laterally adjustablerelative to the platform 10 toward or away from external sheet 30 thedirection and amount of movement depending on the direction and amountwhich the platform operator rotates handwheel 51.

As shown in FIG. 1, cam follower 57 also engages a pin 60 connected byarm 61 to slide 62 which is mounted on slide bars 63 for lateralmovement parallel to the axis of axle 20. Slide 62 will thereforeduplicate the lateral movements ofaxle 20 and lower heat-sealing wheel19. Slide 62 carries vertical support 26 which mounts the upperheat-sealing wheel 23, the edge guide 46, and both tape arbors 38 and39. Slide 62 also carries arbor mounting 33 and tape rollers 42 and 43.Thus, with the exception of lower heat-sealing wheel 19, all componentsof the sealing system are movable laterally with the slide 62. Sinceaxle 20 and slide 62 always move together, upper heat-sealing wheel 23will always remain directly above the lower heat-sealing wheel 19.

As seen most clearly in FIG. 3, the equipment carried by slide 62 is soarranged as to minimize torque loading on the slide when the apparatusis in operation. Undue torque loading would produce excessive frictionbetween the slide 62 and slide bars 63, making lateral movement of slide62 difficult. In the present apparatus, torque loading is minimized byhaving the weight of upper heat-sealing wheel 23 and tape arbor 38carried by axle 20, by having the roll of sheet material 32 mountedabove slide bars 63, and by having the remainder of the equipment onslide 62 distributed so that the resulting center of gravity isapproximately over the slide bars 63.

Providing the dual slide structures axle 20 and slide 62 for mountingthe sealing equipment provides a simplified structure for accomplishingthe lateral adjustment of all the sealing equipment. The dual structureprovided has less bulk and weight than would a single slide structurelarge enough to mount the same equipment. This, of course, results in asavings in both manufacturing and operating costs.

The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention isillustrative and explanatory thereof, and various changes in the size,shape and materials, as well as in the details of the il- Iustratedconstruction, may be made within the scope of the appended claimswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for sealing two sheets of material together comprising,

a powered platform adapted to travel along a track,

a lower heat-sealing wheel rotatably mounted on said platform by meansof a horizontal axle set in bearing mountings on said platform, saidmountings permitting the axle to move in an axial direction,

a slide mounted on said platform for lateral movement in a directionparallel to the axis of said axle,

an upper heat-sealing wheel positioned above said lower heat-sealingwheel,

said upper heat-sealing wheel being pivotally mounted on said slide formovement in a vertical plane toward or away form said lower heat-sealingwheel,

said upper heat-sealing wheel peripherally engaging and substantiallysupported upon said lower heat-sealing wheel when said apparatus is inoperation,

an arbor carried at least in part by said slide and movable therewithfor supporting a roll of sheet material in a position to feed said sheetmaterial between said heat-sealing wheels to be sealed to a sheet ofmaterial in place external to said apparatus,

at least one tape arbor carried by said slide for supporting a roll ofsealing tape in a position to pass between said sealing wheels and besealed to said sheets ofmaterial,

means for simultaneous lateral adjustment of said axle and said slide ina direction toward or away from said external sheet,

the equipment carried by said slide being so arranged as to minimizetorque loading on said slide when said apparatus is in operation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a tape arbor is providedpivotally mounted with said upper heat-sealing wheel so that when saidapparatus is in operation the weight of said tape arbor is supportedupon said lower heat-sealing wheel.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein edge-guide means arecarried on said slide adapted to grasp said sheet of material externalto said apparatus and laterally align said external sheet to passbetween said upper and lower heat-sealing wheels and be sealed to thesheet of material on said arbor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein two tape arbors arecarried on said slide for supporting rolls of sealing tape in a positionto pass between said upper and lower sealing wheels and be sealed toopposite sides of said sheets of materia1,

one of said tape arbors being cooperative with said upper heat-sealingwheel so that the tape thereon is sealed to the upper side of saidsheets of material,

the other of said tape arbors being cooperative with said lowerheat-sealing wheel so that the tape thereon is sealed to the lower sideof said sheets of material,

said arbor which is cooperative with said lower heat-sealing wheel beingplaced forward ofsaid edge-guide means.

1. An apparatus for sealing two sheets of material together comprising,a powered platform adapted to travel along a track, a lower heat-sealingwheel rotatably mounted on said platform by means of a horizontal axleset in bearing mountings on said platform, said mountings permitting theaxle to move in an axial direction, a slide mounted on said platform forlateral movement in a direction parallel to the axis of said axle, anupper heat-sealing wheel positioned above said lower heatsealing wheel,said upper heat-sealing wheel being pivotally mounted on said slide formovement in a vertical plane toward or away form said lower heat-sealingwheel, said upper heat-sealing wheel peripherally engaging andsubstantially supported upon said lower heat-sealing wheel when saidapparatus is in operation, an arbor carried at least in part by saidslide and movable therewith for supporting a roll of sheet material in aposition to feed said sheet material between said heat-sealing wheels tobe sealed to a sheet of material in place external to said apparatus, atleast one tape arbor carried by said slide for supporting a roll ofsealing tape in a position to pass between said sealing wheels and besealed to said sheets of material, means for simultaneous lateraladjustment of said axle and said slide in a direction toward or awayfrom said external sheet, the equipment carried by said slide being soarranged as to minimize torque loading on said slide when said apparatusis in operation.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein a tapearbor is provided pivotally mounted with said upper heat-sealing wheelso that when said apparatus is in operation the weight of said tapearbor is supported upon said lower heat-sealing wheel.
 3. The apparatusaccording to claim 1 wherein edge-guide means are carried on said slideadapted to grasp said sheet of material external to said apparatus andlaterally align said external sheet to pass between said upper and lowerheat-sealing wheels and be sealed to the sheet of material on saidarbor.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 2 wherein two tape arbors arecarried on said slide for supporting rolls of sealing tape in a positionto pass between said upper and lower sealing wheels and be sealed toopposite sides of said sheets of material, one of said tape arbors beingcooperative with said upper heat-sealing wheel so that the tape thereonis sealed to the uPper side of said sheets of material, the other ofsaid tape arbors being cooperative with said lower heat-sealing wheel sothat the tape thereon is sealed to the lower side of said sheets ofmaterial, said arbor which is cooperative with said lower heat-sealingwheel being placed forward of said edge-guide means.